According to the Russians, the system is intended to neutralize Low-Earth Orbit satellites and AWACS at ranges between 150 to 300 kilometers.
Ukrainian forces captured near Kyiv what seems to be command post of the 1RL257 Krasukha-4 Electronic Warfare system, considered to be one of the most advanced Russian EW systems currently in service. The containerized system was hastily camouflaged with some tree branches before being abandoned by Russian forces, after it seemingly fell from the truck transporting it.
The container, in fact, looks to be laying on its side, as it can be seen by looking at the support beams and the ISO container guides which can be seen on the left side, which should be the bottom side of the container. According to the few info available in the original post, the photos might be from a week ago. Obviously, there is the possibility that the container is not related to the Krasukha-4, like stated in the original post’s comment. However, we can’t ignore the possibility of this being really the command post of the EW system because of the significance such a capture would have in that case.
#Ukraine: We managed to identify this bizarre “container”, captured today by the UA forces near #Kyiv.
It is likely to be the command post of one of the most potent Russian EW system – 1RL257 Krasukha-4, used to suppress AWACS radars & radar reconnaissance satellites. pic.twitter.com/1VvKjGoM2p
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) March 22, 2022
The Krasuha-4 is a broadband multifunctional jamming system designed to neutralize Low Earth Orbit spy satellites such as the US Lacrosse/Onyx series, satellites, ground-based radars, airborne surveillance radars like AWACS and JSTARS, and radar-guided ordinance at ranges between 150-300 km, and may also cause damage to enemy radar electronic warfare and communications systems in some circumstances. The system is also considered as a protection against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and anti-radiation missiles (ARMs).
According to the available info, the Krasukha-4 performs detection, processing, analysis and recognition of signals embedded in the operating range of frequencies employed by radars and other radio-emitting sources, before suppressing them with a jam signal transmitted by its three parabolic antennas, which reportedly allow the Krasuha-4 to transmit radio signals without restrictions in azimuth and elevation. The Krasuha-4 EW equipment is mounted on two KAMAZ-6350 vehicles to form the 1RL257 complex.
The first Krasukha-4 electronic warfare system was delivered to the Russian Ministry of Defense in November 2013. The system, which complements the larger Krasukha-2 units already in use by the Russian Army, have been reportedly deployed in Syria and Armenia.
